Tell Old Navy: Support Pride in All 50 States

Old Navy recently announced that they will carry a line of gay pride t-shirts for the month of June, bearing rainbow themes and slogans like "Love Proudly," and will donate 10% of the proceeds to the It Gets Better Project. Old Navy's popular, inexpensive clothing and 1,035 locations could have put these shirts and their message of equality in the hands, or at least the consciousness, of people across the United States. Instead, the shirts will only be available in 26 locations, and cannot be purchased online.

Old Navy could have used its broad appeal to give the LGBT community exposure and support of an unprecedented kind. Instead, Old Navy has chosen to treat Pride as a commodity, dabbling in it to see whether there is a "market" for equality. Facebook users on the store's event page are reporting disinterested form letter responses to their customer service emails, with Old Navy representatives suggesting that, if the line is a success, its availability may be expanded in future years.

Old Navy needs to know that, while the LGBT community appreciates their effort to promote equality, we will not be content with any bone we're thrown. Our identity is not something to be commodified, market tested and discarded if found unprofitable. Far from spreading love and equality, Old Navy's choice of stores is utterly predictable: big cities and blue states where the "gay market" is comfortably established. By not making the line available in every store, Old Navy is reinforcing the stereotype that gay people do not exist in small-town America, or if they do, it is not yet time for them to "Love Proudly."

Tell Old Navy: make Pride available in every store in all 50 states!

Letter to

President, Gap Inc. DirectToby Lenk

Chairman and CEO, Gap Inc.Glenn Murphy

President, Old NavyTom Wyatt

and 2 others

Old Navy Customer Service

Old Navy PRJenny Heisler

The message of the new Old Navy Pride line, "Love Proudly," deserves to be spread to all 50 states.

We, the LGBT community and its allies, appreciate your effort to support visibility and equality, and especially your commitment to donate 10% of the proceeds to the It Gets Better Project. However, by limiting the availability of Pride gear to 26 stores out of your 1000+ locations in the US, you send the message that equality is something there is a market for in some locations, but not others. In particular, this decision reinforces the stereotype that gay people do not exist in small towns and conservative states.

Please send the message that there is a market for equality and pride everywhere by making Old Navy Pride available in all Old Navy stores in the US and online, and commit to making Pride gear widely available in the future!